Leadership Thoughts for Life Long Learners

Archive for the tag “delegation”

We have all been guilty of eavesdropping in on a conversation at a restaurant or a coffee shop. The other day I was guilty of listening in to a conversation between two individuals. From all appearances it was a manager or employer with an employee. The main mode of operation from this individual was to take out a microscope on everything that the employee had done wrong. Mind you, I believe clear communication is important and there comes a time when you need to sit down and communicate effectively and clearly as to what the expectations are in the relationship. This conversation did not feel like a clear communication moment from leader to team member, it felt more like the leader was “nagging” about every little thing the team member was doing.

While it may feel like human nature to nag for performance enhancement, it rarely…. if ever actually works. The moment a leader begins to nag is the moment the leader ceases to lead. There are many reasons why I believe nagging does not work in leadership, here are just a few:

1. Nagging focuses on what is going wrong as opposed to what is going right.

2. Nagging makes the assumption that the team member knows what to do and how to do it.

3. Nagging takes the approach that the leader does not value the individual over the task.

4. Nagging is more about lifting the leader’s ego than actually moving the team forward.

So, if nagging doesn’t work, what does? The best way to change behavior is to focus on inspiring change. Instead of focusing on what is wrong, focus on what the individual is doing right and then transition to raising the bar where they are falling short. Inspire your team to BE more so that they can DO more. Leaders will many times skip the human “being” (inspiration) of people and focus on human “doing” (the task). For example, it is much easier for me to love when I have been loved, it is much easier for me to forgive when I have been forgiven. So…… LEADER, how does your team view you? As an Inspiration or a Nag? Hopefully this blog INSPIRES you to be the Leader your called to be.

Leaders learn to delegate. The truth is, while all leaders delegate, I have come to realize not many do it well, and even fewer feel as though they are good at it. The flip side of the coin is that there are many leaders that think they are great at delegating, but when you dig a little deeper you recognize they are not delegating effectively. If delegation is done properly it can produce incredible results. Delegation can maximize the leaders time, it can broaden their influence, and it can aid in producing incredible opportunity for those the leader surrounds himself with. A few quick thoughts to consider as it relates to delegation

First, many confuse delegating a project with dumping a project on someone else. Some leaders pride themselves in being incredible at delegating, but when you dig deeper you will discover those they are “delegating” the project to feel as though the leader is dumping unwanted projects on them. Nothing will build distrust between a team member and leader faster than when the leader dumps what they do not want to do on someone else. Shifting something you are responsible for onto someone else is not delegation.

Secondly, delegating without releasing your team member to actually do the work necessary is not delegation at all, but it is a sign of a control issue. If a project is something you delegate, you must be willing to release the team member to do the hard work, but also you must be the first to praise them for the work when it is done. A true sign of delegating without releasing is if you try to hold your team member responsible for what goes wrong with the project, but you are the first one that desires all the praise if things go well.

Third, delegation without authority is a recipe for failure. If you delegate a project you must empower your team member and give them the authority to actually accomplish what you have asked. You can not delegate a project yet not give the authority required to actually accomplish the project.

Last, delegating without clear expectations and timelines is not true leadership. Delegation requires the leader to set the tone, expectations and timelines for those he is delegating a project too. It is unfair to hold a team member responsible to timelines and expectations which have not clearly been communicated by the leader.